Sky is set to announce Stephen van Rooyen as its UK and Ireland CEO

Stephen van Rooyen is set to be announced as the new chief executive of the British-based telecommunications giant Sky in the UK and Ireland.

The news was revealed at The Guardian Changing Media Summit in London on Wednesday, where a fellow panelist on stage - Facebook's VP for EMEA, Nicola Mendelsohn - revealed van Rooyen had just received a promotion.

Van Rooyen, Sky's chief marketing and digital officer, confirmed and when asked about his new job title, he responded: "Chief exec."

Sky was not immediately available to comment.

Sky reported a 5% lift in revenue year-on-year to £5.7 billion in the six months to 31 December 2015. Operating profit rose 12% to £747 million in the period.

In January, Rupert Murdoch's youngest son returned to Sky as chairman. He previously served as chairman of the then BSkyB from 2003 to to 2012, but stepped down in the midst of the phone hacking scandal at News Of the World, owned by another Murdoch company, News International - now known as News UK.

More to follow...